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Johnny Got His Gun By Dalton Trumbo Lessons

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The Enlightening “They died with only one thought in their minds and that was I want to live I want to live I want to live.” In the 1939 book “Johnny Got His Gun” by Dalton Trumbo, the main character Joe Bonham was drafted into World War 1. During the war Joe’s trench, along with almost everything inside, was terminated. Joe suffered the tragic loss of both legs, arms and all five of his senses from the shell. Joe understands first hand that in the moment of death the single thought racing through his broken and destroyed body is “I want to live”. Throughout this award winning book, Trumbo through Joe teaches many lessons. Lessons can be taught about simple tasks o heartbreaking realities, and unfortunately Joe’s “lessons well learned” are …show more content…

Joe, devastated by his paralyzing injuries, has come to the conclusion that mankind is cruel. Mankind has caused him to fall into this coffin where he has it worse off than the slaves and prisoners; “He thought of them and he thought they were luckier than I am they could move they could see each other they were more nearly living than I and the were not imprisoned as securely” (page 182). Joe talks extensively about the treatment of slaves, prisoners, Jesus, and any man that is brings guilt to the reader's mind. Joe finds a reason in each story that he is worse off than they; whether it be they can die or as simple as they can hear. Joe finds them to be luckier than he is because all of the individuals he names can see, hear, walk and die; Joe has no choice except to sit and rot. Not only does Joe show the cruelty through the stories of brutal and inhumane treatment of people in the past but he also shows the cruelty in his own treatment after he breaks through the silent barrier of communication. Joe has just broken the barrier with his tapping of morse code, the nurse and the individual who knows morse code understand what he is trying to do. The unknown individual and Joe have a very simple conversation which ends with the crushing of all Joe’s hopes for a real life, “What you ask is against regulations who are you” (page 235). Joe at this point has given

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All things considered, in life, unfortunate circumstances can turn into fruitful rewards. In Joe’s case, doing the right thing and saving a life turned into a beneficial outcome. From this essay, you’ve learned that Joe’s actions of saving a woman, acting heroically, and humbly turning down a generous reward caused the plot to move forward. That without the author using myth-like elements in the text, the storyline would never progress. Ultimately, in Joe looking out for someone else’s interests, he led himself into living a life with better resources and a

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Johnny's Flashbacks In Johnny Got His Gun

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1540 Words | 7 Pages

Just like Coalhouse Walker Jr., Joe is a man of his word. If he says he is going to do something, he is going to do it. He told his mother that he was going to kill whoever raped her, and he did just that. Everyone has a strong relationship with someone, and Joe’s just so happen to be with his mother. If you truly love and care about someone, you sometimes have to take risks to show that you really care.

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1245 Words | 5 Pages

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1413 Words | 6 Pages

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999 Words | 4 Pages

The True Weight of War “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, brings to light the psychological impact of what soldiers go through during times of war. We learn that the effects of traumatic events weigh heavier on the minds of men than all of the provisions and equipment they shouldered. Wartime truly tests the human body and and mind, to the point where some men return home completely destroyed. Some soldiers have been driven to the point of mentally altering reality in order to survive day to day. An indefinite number of men became numb to the deaths of their comrades, and yet secretly desired to die and bring a conclusion to their misery.

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728 Words | 3 Pages

In the passage from the novel Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo, Trumbo tells the story of a young boy named Joe and his father, who have a very close relationship. They each love to do the same things, but Joe thinks it is time to experience life on his own. Trumbo uses techniques such as Joe’s point of view, imagery, and unquoted dialogue to illustrate the strong relationship between Joe and his father. First, Trumbo uses third person limited point of view to only share the main character’s thoughts throughout the story.

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Johnny Got His Gun Literary Analysis

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Johnny Got His Gun Dalton Trumbo’s novel, “Johnny Got His Gun” tells all about a father and son relationship that many people may envy for. Trumbo characterizes their relationship with a respectful tone, yet Trumbo also makes the love and trust the father and son share very apparent throughout the novel. Trumbo is able utilize literary devices such as third person point of view and a lack of formal punctuation, using syntax to help the reader have a better perspective on the relationship the father and son partake in.

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